my two cents

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  1. Like
    my two cents got a reaction from Jane_Doe in Callings   
    From what I've seen, the bishop asks about presidents of organizations, the counselors take care of just about everything else (whichever counselor is over it). The bishops are busy with other things.
  2. Like
    my two cents got a reaction from Jane_Doe in Internet Girlfriend   
    Well then before you buy the ticket, google '100 questions to ask before you get married' and be totally honest with each other about them. You also need a pro/con list of this relationship with everything on the table (where will you live/raise a family, how often will you visit the other family, what do you enjoy doing together, etc). You also both need to read the book I suggested above as well as 'The 5 Love Languages' (check your library). The more you know going in, the better! 
  3. Like
    my two cents got a reaction from Grunt in Callings   
    The bishop or one of his counselors talks to you about it and when it's time for a change, a bishopric member lets you know.
  4. Like
    my two cents reacted to person0 in Gospel Joy: The Long Game   
    I just learned that someone I baptized on my mission has been sealed in the temple!  This is always amazing and wonderful news.  What makes it even more special, in this case, is that this brother's first wife died a few years ago, leaving him a single father, and he had gone relatively inactive (mostly due to work needs).  Then out of the blue he tells me he recently got married in the temple!  I waited for him to send a picture, which very clearly has the temple in the background, before I even fully believed it, because I somehow had it in my mind that it was unlikely.  I am filled with joy at the knowledge that this brother has progressed to such an extent!  He is the only person I baptized who I have been made aware has received the blessings of the temple.  I am so grateful to the Lord for blessing this man and his family.  I hope each of us can have these wonderful experiences throughout our mortal journey to see the true miracle of change working in our families, friends, and others lives.  This is the long game.  I hope that we will all be blessed at the final day to be overjoyed at the number of our brethren that will join us in the celestial kingdom!
  5. Like
    my two cents reacted to zil in Advice / Comfort needed   
    IMO, all your parents need to know is that you are being diligent in preparing yourselves to make eternal covenants.  Entirely true regardless of how you're preparing and all they need to know.
  6. Like
    my two cents reacted to Jane_Doe in Advice / Comfort needed   
    Yeah!!!
    Actually it's lower: he has not yet made temple commitments to keep the Law of Chasity.  If he was not baptized yet when the events occurred chances are extremely extremely low.  
    **** Important: New members are generally required to wait a year to attend the temple (time for their foundational roots to grow).   So even if this had not occurred, you two could not get sealed in the temple tomorrow anyways. *****
    Quit worrying about your parents.  And give the Bishop a little credit for discretion. 
  7. Like
    my two cents reacted to Jane_Doe in Advice / Comfort needed   
    A messy complicated situation with a simple solution: call your bishop right now.
    Don't let worrying about what your parents think stand between you and reconciling with the Lord.  Don't let worrying about what your parents think stand between your husband and reconciling with the Lord.   Don't stand around any longer with these chains of guilt on you.  
    Also: your parents have zero entitled "right" to know what's going on between you and the Lord (/ the bishop as the Lord's servant).  If you want to tell them, you can.  But if you don't want to tell them what's going on, then you in no way need to tell them.  
  8. Like
    my two cents reacted to estradling75 in Advice / Comfort needed   
    Welcome to the Forums.
    My first bit of advice is both you and your spouse need to get the bishop and confess ASAP.  You know this and you are lucky in the sense that your spouse is right there with you because he is the only one (besides the bishop) that might have needed to know.  And he already does.
    You are worried about your family's reaction and that is understandable.  But the Lord has very strong words about those that put family before him.  Don't do that.
    So what do you do about family...  They have no "right" to know.  You do not have to tell them anything. If they ask about the temple simply say that you are not going at this time.  They are entitled to no more answer then that.
    Of course they might want and even demand more details but you giving that is totally up to you.
    Parents are still learning and growing even when their kids are adults.  Maybe they learned from your sisters experience and are different people now, maybe they did not.  That is something no one here can tell you.
    Bottom line is even if you parents find out all the details and responded just as poorly (or worse) as they did with your sister... it is still the best path for you and I think you know that even if you are afraid of it.  Put your faith in God and doing his will and let everything else fall out as it may.
     
  9. Like
    my two cents reacted to Just_A_Guy in Please help! Delicate situation   
    Welcome!  I just want to take a moment to respond to the above:
    I am not a therapist.  But my work brings me in contact with a lot of 'em, and they always tell me that they are *not* supposed to give answers to questions that begin with "should I?".  Rather, they are supposed to give patients the tools they need to reach their own answers in harmony with their own ethical codes.
    If your therapist is in the habit of spoon-feeding you answers to all of life's major quandaries, then I would respectfully suggest that either you're misunderstanding your therapist--or you may need to find a better one.
  10. Like
    my two cents reacted to prisonchaplain in [Help] Is there the right person for each one of us?   
    There is a lot of freedom in this arena, and the notion that there is one and only one "soulmate" out there for me is more dangerous than helpful. For example, if I'm married, and then run into a gal that seems really attractive and interesting to me--do I leave my wife for this new excitement? Of course not. BUT, what if this new person is my "soulmate?" There's no such person. Scripture tells us to find satisfaction in the woman of our youth (i.e. our wives). Also, some young people get so hung up on the "one and only one" in the world, that they miss the one in front of them, because there's no divine revelation from heaven, or because they are so fearful of "settling," when the perfect one is out there somewhere. Relax, and focus on being a good 'soulmate,' and just interact authentically with everyone.
  11. Like
    my two cents reacted to a mustard seed in Walking off 100 lbs.   
    Forgot to update this on Sunday. I hit the first 10 lb.s milestone! I'm at 263 lbs! All total, in 3 weeks, I've lost 12 lbs! I was actually a little worried because we went to Bear World as a family - so there were 5 of us and we each got a square of fudge, then we sat out on the tables and tried them all together. I...had a lot of fudge. ^^; So, I was a little worried but relieved to see I had gone down the same 4 lbs for the week!
    I've also been extending my walks. I only have a learner's permit right now, so, when I want to go somewhere and no one can take me, I usually walk. So, last week and this week I added another 4 miles onto the 2 that we walk in the mornings for one day each week. Today I walked to main street and the Library and I felt moderately okay coming home! Last week, walking back up the hill towards the temple was brutal; I stopped every few feet to rest because it was just killing me. Today, I still felt winded and exhausted by the time I got home but I felt okay while walking! This is truly my goal, even if I can never truly lose the belly or the junk in the trunk: to be active. It is irritating to get winded walking up the two short flights of stairs in the house. That more than anything else is what I want to conquer, the feeling of it being SO hard to get from point A to point B.
    I also tried spaghetti squash for the first time! I am not a big fan of it by itself and it is an affront to nature to treat it like pasta. It is not. However, I will not give up on it and will try it in different recipes mixed with other things. I used to not be a fan of green and yellow squash but tried the right recipe and they work! So, I will try it again.
  12. Like
    my two cents reacted to Grunt in LDS culture problem   
    Great question.  We discuss it often.  We both agreed we need to have "faith" in our life.  We both agreed it is important for our children.  We both agreed nothing we've encountered thus far in our search is in line with our way of thinking.  We both agreed we liked the values of your church as we understand them through our research.  We were both intrigued and comfortable with the message the missionaries delivered when they came a few weeks ago.   We were both concerned with the "cult" reputation mormons typically have.
    I guess I'm the more motivated or interested of the family, but she certainly is as well.  She will probably ask to go to church next time I go.  When I scheduled the last missionary visits she asked that I do it when she is home, which is why I wish they'd come.  So we do discuss it and she does want to learn, she is just nervous to go.  I think she'll ask to go to church next time I attend.  I let her be as active in the process as she wants to be.  
  13. Like
    my two cents got a reaction from eddified in Is it appropriate to tell a girl you're interested in them while she's already dating someone?   
    When they met, she was on a mission and he was her 'golden investigator'.
  14. Like
    my two cents reacted to mordorbund in LDS culture problem   
    This may or may not help a bishop trying to help members find a reason to stay, but this past General Conference Elder Clayton shared a bishop's experience at resolving concerns:
     
  15. Like
    my two cents reacted to estradling75 in Missionary Son   
    I know its been a bit but I figure if you are still following this thread you might be interested in an update.
     
    This evening he was received his call and was set apart as a Youth Church Service Missionary,  (See here for details of that if you are interested https://www.lds.org/callings/missionary/church-service-missionary/ycsm/?lang=eng)  His field of labor will be in the Church Office Building where he will support the efforts of the church publishing department. This department handles the creation of church video (including temple videos) and flyers, pamphlets, handout cards, etc.  Including special request from General Authorities. 
    At least that is what I am told.  This is all kinds of new and different territory for me.  When we started I didn't even know something like this was an option.
  16. Like
    my two cents reacted to Traveler in What's your calling in your ward?   
    I thought to talk a little about a calling I was recently released from.  First, I would note that there is a difference between being uncomfortable with a calling and a calling being hard or difficult as opposed to challenging or even awkward for particular personality types.   My calling was nursery leader.  This was a very unusual challenge for me because I approached the calling much like every other calling.  I read everything I could – asked lots of question and planned to “master” the calling.  Part of my problem with the transition was that everybody that was serving was released and myself and 3 other brethren took over with no experience and no help.
    Nothing planned worked.  2 and 3-year-old kids are natures proof of entropy.   After the first week one brother quit coming to church and I never saw him again – and he would not answer phone calls from me.   Being the intellectual that I am it did not take very long to figure out something was wrong and not much was working.  I would like to say that I got on my knees and was filled with the spirit and the problem was solved but it did not work like that.  I decided after 2 months of kids and adults hating the nursery that I would take a different approach – rather than try to do anything spiritual or have any spiritual experience – we would concentrate on having fun.  If an activity was not fun, we would not do it.  I discovered that little kids do not like to sit and sing – they like to dance around as they sing.  I did discover that if I videoed them singing and dancing that they would sit – sometimes for 10 minutes watching the video of themselves singing and dancing.  It is not the what is fun is unstructured - it actually takes a lot a structure and planning to have 2 hours of fun.
    My primary goal was that every kid would look forward to coming to church on Sunday and would look forward to nursery and would not want to leave.  One very shy little girl when she first came would cling to her mother and cry if any of the other kids even looked at her.  The mother was even more of a problem – she complained that the nursery was not spiritual enough.  I told her she could have as much time and as often as she wanted to present a lesson.  That seemed to make her more unhappy with me.  After a couple of months her little girl would come with smiles and cry when the mother came to take her home.  I found it interesting that most of the feedback I received was that the nursery was too much fun.
    One little tradition – was a handshake greeting that each kid got from me when they came – I am not the hugging type.  It has been a year since my release but the kids of the nursery still like to greet me at sacrament meeting with our handshake greeting.
    Jesus once said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me – for such is the kingdom of heaven”.  I use to think that Jesus meant that little children are the essence of what is in heaven – having served in the nursery I think Jesus is misunderstood.  I now believe he was not referring to the children but rather to himself and the attitude of loving and caring for little kids – that is what is the essence of heaven – much more than discussing doctrine (which is what most come to church to do).  I think the calling of nursery leader has had more of an impact on me and my heart than any other calling.
     
    The Traveler
  17. Like
    my two cents reacted to zil in LDS culture problem   
    That.  I hear these complaints all the time and yet I have never experienced nor witnessed Sister A telling Brother B he's sinning if he watches R-rated movies / drinks caffeine.  Nor have I witnessed Brother B telling Sister A that bikini she wore on Saturday was sinful.
    Never. Not once.
    So where are all these people?
    What I have heard are talks and lessons repeating counsel from prophets and apostles, supported by scripture, admonishing the saints to refrain from immodesty, harmful substances, and forms of entertainment which do not reflect church standards.  Now if someone takes such talks and lessons as a personal affront and uses them as an excuse to leave the Church, well, they're choosing to turn their backs on the counsel of God - they're not leaving because someone has exercised unrighteous judgement against them, they're leaving because they don't want to be told their pet habit / entertainment / attire is against the counsel given to us by prophets of God.  And if that's a valid reason to stop giving talks admonishing better choices, then we should stop giving talks at all, and we can all just stay home and watch sports on the sabbath.
  18. Like
    my two cents reacted to mordorbund in LDS culture problem   
    These remarks by Joseph Fielding Smith probably have no bearing on people leaving because other people teach not to view R-rated movies, but here it is:
     
  19. Like
    my two cents reacted to Connie in LDS culture problem   
    I'm not sure if anyone has added this wonderful quote to the discussion since i haven't read the entire thread, but i wanted to make sure it was included.
    "The Lord loves you; that is why He has given you commandments and the words of prophets to guide you on your journey through life. Some of the most important guidelines for your life are found in the pamphlet For the Strength of Youth. The physical appearance of this little paper booklet would qualify it for the scriptural description “Out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33). The pamphlet itself has little material value, perhaps just a few cents. But the doctrine and principles it presents are an invaluable treasure. You young men who are already 18 or older, if you don’t have this booklet anymore, make sure to get one, keep it, and use it. This little booklet is a gem for any age group. It contains standards which are sacred symbols representing our membership in the Church." --Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2006 General Conference (bold added by me)
  20. Like
    my two cents reacted to person0 in LDS culture problem   
    I agree, and I like what you said here.  I honestly (no offense intended), based only on the OP, thought that Sweety D was a 20 something, millennial, female, with liberal tendencies.  When I saw the post about being a bishop I was like:

  21. Like
    my two cents reacted to estradling75 in LDS culture problem   
    The older I get the more I realize that when I stand before the Judgement Bar of Christ and he is asking me why I did (or didn't do) certain things.. that any attempt to excuse myself by saying that other people were mean or judgemental or whatever... is simply not going to fly.
    The whole point of this life is to test me an see if I will follow him always.  Other people being mean or judgemental is not an aberration of the test of mortally, but rather a integral part of it.
  22. Like
    my two cents reacted to Vort in LDS culture problem   
    Then, Bishop, quit wasting your precious time preaching false doctrine on an anonymous internet discussion list and get back to the serious business of supporting your family and strengthening your ward. You are doing neither by defying and denying clear Church counsel on this forum. For shame. You of all people should know better.
    ^^ Vort's judgment ^^
  23. Like
    my two cents reacted to anatess2 in LDS culture problem   
    Sweety, I don't think culture is the problem in your ward.  I just don't see how people who have faith in Jesus Christ and the Restored gospel can lose such testimony because of culture.  They can be upset at each other, not have a good fellowship experience, etc.  But leaving the church over it is a different matter.  Especially with the way you're interpreting the counsel of the prophets.
    I'm a Filipino married to an American - I'm having to navigate culture to keep my marriage.  But, yes, I can always leave my husband and blame culture for it.  That would be called... an excuse.
  24. Like
    my two cents reacted to anatess2 in LDS culture problem   
    Okay, you're hurt that people left the Church.  I understand this.  The previous bishop of our ward left the Church because his daughter wanted to be Pinocchio and be a real boy.  I was sad of it too.
    But, the Church doesn't change just so they can keep membership.  Rather, they continue to teach Truth to those who will plant their seed of faith and allow it to take root.  Those who leave due to "culture"... they need their faith nourished.  And that nourishment does not come from telling them it's okay to watch R-rated movies.  It comes from... the usual... studying scriptures, praying, fasting, pleading in all humility for the guidance of the Holy Ghost, and... of course, to study and heed the counsel of the prophets.
     
  25. Like
    my two cents reacted to anatess2 in LDS culture problem   
    Actually, this is not true.
    Counsel for the Youth is not just for the Youth.  Many times, church leaders, including General Authority, will reference For the Strength of Youth or Friend or Liahona in speaking to the Church.  Counsel to the Youth is not different counsel.  Rather, it is a different application of the same counsel - applicable to things that relates to that age group.
    The counsel to avoid R-rated movies was given to the Youth but it is applied Churchwide, not just the youth.  Modern prophets changed the counsel to not specify R-rated movies and just reference them as inappropriate movies in general as the Church expanded rapidly worldwide (no such ratings exists in other countries) and movies lower than an R-rating become more and more loose in their standards.  The change, therefore, was not to remove the advice from the Church in avoiding R-rated movies, rather, the counsel was clarified to include non R-rated movies.
    So yes, you are currently making your own doctrine.  Isn't that interesting?